Penelope Trunk

So Monday I started a new job as a Community manager for Monster.com‘s new Facebook App Beknown. I was really excited to start working on this project (one of my main reasons being that we would get to work with Ryan Paugh ..and he had worked with Penelope Trunk..so technically it would be like I worked with Penelope Trunk (who is my writing idol). I mean it makes sense when you think that if you kiss someone it’s like you have kissed everyone they kissed..right?)

Although the prospect of working in close proximity to one of my favorite writers was thrilling, I was a little hesitant to take the job. I’m always terrified that I’m going to set myself up for disaster when social media gets involved, not to mention I am horrible at recruiting friends to do things (probably something I shouldn’t mention on a public forum..but oh well). Instead I sucked it up, because I’d rather “beknown” for trying something than giving up before even getting my foot in the door.

This is a screen shot of my home page on beknown, figured I should throw it in

In today’s job market it’s important to make a name for yourself, actually put yourself out there. Not only are we always searching for jobs, but head hunters/recruiters are searching for people to fill jobs. It’s always been like this, but we didn’t always have the social media tools to showcase ourselves in a bright flashing light that says “hire me god dammit!” Well maybe not just like that.

App’s like Beknown have taken this flashing bright light to the next level. They have made it so even the least social media savvy person can have a chance to”beknown” by employers, the best part being they give this to them on a network they already know and love (could you ask for anything more?) .

I’m on day 7 of using this app. and although no job has popped out at me, I have already made some great connections. Which in all honesty is why I join sites like beknown and LinkedIn, to make that connection with someone who could eventually know someone looking to hire an extremely talented writer/editor/ex-PR wannabe, and that is when my awkward little big face will pop into their head, then I’ll get hired. Well at least this is the hope.

Hopefully my ramblings hasn’t gotten you too lost yet. Basically, what I am saying here, it’s better to beknown on the internet than hide in some private area pretending it doesn’t exist. Yes, the internet is a scary place to put your information on. But it’s worth it, online you can make more connections in one hour than an entire week in person. Connections that can help with a career change, friendly advice on moving, or a stepping stone to getting your dream job.

I’m not opposed to Facebook Apps (just check out my farm), so joining beknown wasn’t a difficult decision to make. Free job searches, free connecting, plus you can create a competition between friends to see who can own the most badges..let’s be real I’m already hooked. I’m not saying that this is for everyone, there are a lot of people who just think job search sites are a waste of their time (which is fine, and if they have a better way I would love it if they could let me know ASAP). But regardless, I do think everyone should at least try it, give it a whirl. Test it out and see what this baby can do. I mean, really, what’s the worst thing that could happen? You land a great job? Make new friends? ..I know horrible, tragic, things.

So, check it out…and you should absolutely connect with me (I’m only in the 20’s for connections..gotta beat out the other community managers! –good thing I use my sports competition logic for Facebook App..)

I’m writing a post about how to focus while I have two word docs open with different essay prompts in both, and an article waiting to be edited for the rccblog.

It’s not that I have a problem focusing on mudane tasks like work or school, it’s more like I can’t focus on anything, ever. Like a career path…as soon as I see a career that seems like fun listed somewhere I usually change my mind and set my sights on that. But then I decide I don’t want to give up a previous one so now I have two. So I continue looking and find a 3rd, and a 4th. And they all seem really great, and I don’t want FOMO to kick in so I just decide I can do them all. And pretty soon I have ten different career paths in front of me all leading in different directions.

My problem is I need to focus on one of those ten paths, and stick with it. At least for a little bit. You know, find out where it goes…see where I end up. But I suck at sticking to

anything, I tend to get bored and am ready to move on before the ink dries.

And to answer your searching questions, yes I am like this in all aspects of my life. Including relationships, well lack there of. It’s that damn FOMO again, taking over. For those of your who don’t know FOMO is the fear of missing out. I wrote a great little article about it for college candy, if you are too lazy to google you should go check it out.

So back to focusing…why is it that my generation seems to have this crazy ability to not know how to focus. Could it be that we have just become so over stimulated with the use of all of the new technology out there, that we have lost the ability to just choose one thing to do.

Even the phyic I went to saturday gave me a lecture on how I need to focus…you know things are wrong when an ex journalist turned physic is telling you what to do.

Hopefully if I write up some witty step by step guide we will all be able to start focusing more, and stop trying to be effecicant multitaskes…because let’s be real, it doesn’t exist.

Step 1: Form a to do list, featuring the things that need to get done or that are past their due date first.

Step 2: Limit your number of tab’s to three at any given time. This is one of my biggest problems. I almost always have 6 tab’s and two windows open at all times…it’s something I’m working on.

Step 3: If you feel yourself starting to slip take a break and move around. Try doing jumping jacks or a few crunches. And if you have time take a shower to collect your thoughts.

Step 4: Go back to your list. If you are stuck on the first item and can’t get past it move to the second. This happened with one of my essays for myth and culture, sometimes not matter how easy the assignment is you just can’t do it.

Step 5: After at least 3 maybe 4 things have been cross off your list, reward yourself however you see fit. I usually do this by going outside, or if it’s cold/gross watching an episode of one of the many shows that I don’t have time to watch during the week.

Step 6: Go back to the list, working slowly to finish it off. Never, I repeat NEVER try to multitask. This will only get you off track. You will think that you are able to do more things and at a faster rate-but it will actually take you a longer amount of time. Plus your computer will go slow.

Here’s to you, Gen Y, the generation of unfocusers and hard works. Together we can pull through this!

Lately I’ve been feeling stressed out. I don’t know who to talk to, where to turn. And on top of it I’m caught up in major confrontation issues, which I hate dealing with.

Then I start rereading old Penelope Trunk posts, and I’ve come to the conclusion that I need to be tested for Asperger’s syndrome. So since I’m in Maine I confess to my sister that due to my intake in psychology courses I’ve started self-diagnosis (not uncommon in med students). But after a two sentence conversation she changes it. As per usual…we never seem to be able to have actual conversations just enough for her to think she really understands me. Then be blown off and go back to pretending we are close.

So now I’ve convinced myself that after “failing” two different diagnosis test that maybe I should talk to a real medical person and ask them to tell me what’s wrong.

I’ve never been good with social situations. I usually freak out and hide when friends ask me to go to parties with them. I slowly shut down before being dragged off to a bar. I’ll put up a fight just so I won’t have to go through with meeting new people. Or if I can, I just find a reason to cancel and stay home to read.

It gets better, I can’t read nonverbal cues. If someone is bored with me I have no idea. And I can’t tell if I’ve upset someone. So sometimes I don’t talk at all because I don’t know if I should. And sometimes I can’t stop talking for fear I’ve already said something wrong so now I need to cover it up. And other times I won’t talk and I’ll just watch the entire group have a conversation, not understanding how they are able to keep the conversation funny…and oh was that a joke? After a while I just start spacing out wondering what my next post will be about.

I hate when people think I’m weird. I’m not weird. I just get lost in my thoughts, a lot. Writing is the only way I can really explain what happens, because when I start talking I can’t stop. But sometimes that happens in my writing too. I call it word vomit.

And I get really frustrated when people don’t tell me exactly what they want. I’m really bad with reading between the lines. By ignoring me you aren’t making me more interested, you’re actually making me so frustrated that I stop caring. And the only reason I continue to talk to you is because I genuinely just want to know why you stopped. Not for emotional reasons, but because I don’t understand why someone would stop wanting to talk to me. Well I have an idea, but I like exact reasons.

I don’t understand why people are just able to fall in line with dating rules/life rules. I find them so complicated and I’d rather not do any kind of dance, I’d rather someone just be blunt with me so I know exactly what they are thinking. Instead of having to worry about if I just said something wrong and by then you are already on another topic but I can’t focus on what you are saying because I am still trying to figure out if you are upset.

I’ve always felt like this, and I just never really thought anything of it until my abnormal psychology class/googling on a cloudy day led me to believe that I could be more different than I already am. But, Like I’ve said before, I’m a big over analyzer and I sometimes get so involved with what is going on I need to start searching for a cause of some abnormal behavior. That is, in all likely hood, completely normal but it just happens to be showing itself at an inconvenient time.

So I realize that I am just reading into behavior that is perfectly normal, and I also understand that because of certain things happening I am trying to focus on other things. But I still can’t help but think that maybe there is an explination for why I am the way I am.